April 25, 2004 

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - After dropping a key NESCAC West Division doubleheader to the visiting Ephs on Saturday, the Amherst baseball team avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of its archrivals with a 6-4 victory at Williams (26-7/10-2 NESCAC West) on Sunday. Tied for second place in the conference standings at 11-13 overall and 4-5 in league play, the Jeffs control their own destiny in the hunt for a berth in the four-team NESCAC Tournament, pending the outcome of next weekend's three-game set against division rival Middlebury (11-12/4-5 NESCAC West). 

Trailing 3-0 early on at Williams, Amherst pieced together four runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning, including an RBI single by senior Paul Whiting (Mission Viejo, CA) and a two-run single by junior Joe Houkal (Boulder, CO). Senior Dave Powers (Andover, MA) added a sac fly during the rally. 

Williams knotted the score 4-4 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Whiting won the game with a two-run blast in the top of the seventh, his second homer of the season and 10th of his career. 

Amherst junior closer Ed Imperatore (Tenafly, NJ) came on in relief of senior starter Andy Kerns (Barrington, IL) and pitched two perfect innings, securing his third save of the year. Kerns had a good outing as well, upping his record to 2-3, striking out nine while scattering eight hits and three earned runs. 

Powers finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, and sophomore Dave Levinson (Philadelphia, PA) singled and doubled for the Jeffs. 

Amherst travels to Middlebury on Friday for a single game starting at 3 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is set for noon. 

Box Score/Play-by-Play